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Tuesday, July 7, 2015

We are participating in another Roni Loren tour in less than a month. Yay! Enjoy our stop on the Call on Me blog tour and enter the giveaway.

Call on Me (Loving on the Edge #8)

by Roni Loren

Contemporary erotic romance

Paperback/eBook, 448 pages

Published July 7th 2015 by Berkley

Oakley Easton wants two things: to be a good mom to her daughter and to ditch her less than ideal night job. Hooking up with bad boy drummer Pike Ryland? Not on the agenda. She needs a promotion. Not sex, tattoos and rock ’n’ roll.

Pike isn’t about to let Ms. Prim and Proper shut him down so easily, especially when he stumbles upon Oakley’s sexy night job. She’s only playing a role on those late night calls with strangers, but when he gets her on the line, all bets are off. He won’t stop until that sultry voice is calling his name for real.

But as they move from anonymous fantasies in the dark to the flesh-on-hot-flesh reality of the bedroom, the risk of falling in love becomes all too high. And the safe, quiet world that Oakley’s worked so hard to create is about to be exposed to the one person who could ruin it all.

Guitar
chords blasted through the speaker for a moment as the crew on stage did the
sound check. Oakley turned her head as the big screens on the side of the stage
lit up with a publicity photo for Darkfall—the wind making the screens ripple
and the bodies in the picture come to life. The crowd cheered.

“Look,
mom!” Reagan shouted back at her. “It’s Mr. Pike!”

“I see,
baby.” Boy, did she. The larger than life image had Pike staring down the
camera with his bandmates. Badass. Tough. Beautiful.

“Which one
is he?” Devon asked, following her gaze.

“The
blond.”

“Whoa,” he
said low enough for the kids not to hear. “You had that guy over for pizza and
managed keep your clothes on? You have more restraint than I do.”

He had no
idea. “I have no interest in being a groupie.”

“Can I be
one?”

She shoved
his shoulder. “You’re such a tramp. I’m so telling Hunter when he gets back in
town.”

“Tell him.
He’d agree. But seriously, is the guy a jerk? He looks like he has high
potential to be an egomaniac. I don’t want that kind of guy around my baby
sister and niece.”

She frowned
and dragged her eyes away from the picture. “Oh, he’s got an ego, all right.
He’s entirely inappropriate most of the time and a shameless flirt. But I
wouldn’t say he’s a jerk. He’s kind of, I don’t know, weird and manic
and…funny.”

Devon
tipped up the bill of his hat, eyeing her with a sly smile. “Oh, so we have a
mad crush then?”

“What? No.”

“Oak, you’re
here in the Texas heat at a hard rock festival. You don’t even know these
bands. And a few weeks ago, when I asked if you wanted to take Reagan to see
that 80s cover band, you told me she was too young for concerts.”

Oakley
crossed her arms. “Rae has since proven her maturity.”

He smirked.
“Bull. Shit. You’ve got the hots for this guy.”

“He’s not
my type.”

Dev shook
his head and draped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close so the kids
couldn’t hear. “Come on, don’t freak out about it. You work too hard and spend
too much time alone. This could be good for you.”

“An
ill-advised hookup with a drummer who will drop me as soon as he gets bored
could be good for me?”

He laughed.
“Oh, don’t be such a prude. I mean, yes, you’re right. The guy’s probably not
boyfriend material. But you’re a grown woman and deserve some fun. You know
we’re always happy to have Rae over if you need a date night.”

“I think
you just flunked big brother school.”

He gave her
shoulder a pat. “Okay, fine, want responsible brotherly advice? Use a condom.
And don’t let him take video.”

She poked
him in the ribs. But before she could respond to his comment, the lights on
stage began to flash and the crowd surged forward, excitement like a contagion
moving through them.

“Come on,
mom! Let’s get closer.” Reagan grabbed her hand and dragged her with the flow
of the crowd.

They’d already
been pretty close to the stage, thanks to the special passes Pike had sent, but
now they were only a ten or twelve rows of people back on the far left side of
the stage. Bodies pressed close to them and she couldn’t help but get caught up
in the fervor of the crowd.

She pushed
onto her toes, knowing the drummer was almost always the first one to come out.

“Is that
him?” Dev asked.

“Where?”

Devon
pointed to the other end of the stage, and Oakley froze up the moment her eyes
landed on Pike. Tight gray jeans, combat boots, and a black sleeveless T-shirt
that showed off his ink. All swagger and sex and guyliner. Pike waltzed onto
the stage like it’d been built just for him. He lifted his hand in greeting,
earning screams from the audience, then hopped behind his drum kit. He put in
his earpiece, raised his drumstick, and leaned over to his mic with a cocky
smile. “Y’all ready for us, Dallas?”

The crowd
erupted. Sound exploded from his drums.

And Oakley
forgot to breathe.

Good. God.

The rest of
the band ran onto the stage, adding guitars and vocals to Pike’s heavy rhythm,
but Oakley barely heard the words.

All she
could do was stare. Pike took command of the drums like he had a personal
vendetta against them, banging hard and violent but with a sharp-edged grace
that made it look like moving art. Every part of his body worked in perfect
rhythm—muscles flexing, tattoos dancing, sweat flying—and the expression on his
face wasn’t far from what she’d imagined he looked like in the throes of sex.
He was taking the songs in his fists and making them his with every swing of
his drumsticks.

Oakley
swayed on her feet, the pounding beat taking on an erotic edge, vibrating
though her and invading her like a drug.

He looked
possessed.

He sounded
amazing.

And she was
toast.

She felt
the urge ride up her throat and she couldn’t stop it. Her hands went up with
the rest of the crowd and she screamed Pike’s name like a goddamned groupie.

Fucking.
Toast.

Rating: 5 of 5

Cover comment: there are so many covers with scantily clad couples on them and after awhile they become boring. I actually like this cover. The color is serene and dreamy.

Book source: Netgalley. I received a promotional copy.

Author Roni Loren does it again. Gets to me. Again and again. I should know when I begin reading another one of her books, that I'll go through it all: the slow build-up of the feels and emotions, the secret swooning over another book boyfriend, and the total enjoyment of two people falling in love and lust. Ladies, this is how contemporary erotic romance is done.

Oakley, determined to be a good mom to her special needs daughter may not have a glamorous job or one she wants to boast about (she has two), but it pays. Pike's a drummer in a rock band that's on the verge of making it big. Both haven't had ideal lives, both have secrets, and both aren't looking for any type of long term relationship. But remember I mentioned the feels? Oh yeah, there's plenty of that going on between these two. Let's talk chemistry. I really liked both of these characters. I fell right alongside them as their stories unfolded, every single minute and second.

What Roni Loren does so darn well is fill in those cracks I see in other stories, you know, those things that readers can't put their fingers on that are missing from a certain story. Roni covers everything so readers fully know the characters they champion. I call them moments-details found in dialogue, in action, in a simple touch. I finish one of her books always knowing the people inside them. And the romance, the sex, from foreplay to completion, this author makes her pages sizzle from every hooded look to a simple touch or moan. Every single time.

This story reads so complete, from character development to plot to pacing, it all just flows from page to page. I will also mention longevity. I remember this author's characters and certain scenes in detail. That's lasting power, that's impact. These stories are so well written I never worry about plot holes or characters I won't understand or like. Ms. Loren does it right, she does it well. Let me put my cheer-leading stuff away now. You get it. I loved this book. I need to read the rest of this series. Music and love, what more could readers ask for on these hot summer days?

About the author

Roni wrote her first romance novel at age fifteen when she discovered writing about boys was way easier than actually talking to them. Since then, her flirting skills haven’t improved, but she likes to think her storytelling ability has. Though she’ll forever be a New Orleans girl at heart, she now lives in Dallas with her husband and son.

If she’s not working on her latest sexy story, you can find her reading, watching reality television, or indulging in her unhealthy addiction to rockstars, er, rock concerts. Yeah, that's it. She is the National Bestselling Author of The Loving on the Edge series from Berkley Heat. Places to find Roni Loren:Site | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway:

Custom 4-Pack of Brownies from Wicked Cupcakes (US ONLY), a $25 Gift Card will be sent if winner resides outside of US.